Rebuilding hope: Neighborhood rallies round Donna officer who misplaced house to fireplace

The town of Donna and its residents are rallying to the help of a police officer and his younger household after they misplaced their house to a home hearth Wednesday.

“He misplaced all the things,” Donna Police Chief Gilbert Guerrero stated Thursday.

“The one factor he had was the garments he was carrying, which was his uniform, and his children’ garments,” the chief stated of Officer Benny Yanez.

Yanez, 26, was on obligation Wednesday when he responded to the decision of a hearth at his personal deal with in south Donna.

His spouse had known as him in a panic simply moments earlier to say smoke was pouring from the roof earlier than she hung as much as dial 9-1-1.

“By the point I received there, half of the home was already in flames,” Yanez stated.

“The very first thing that I noticed was my spouse crying, simply crying. She didn’t know what to do. She was simply in shock,” he stated a second later.

Nobody was injured within the blaze. Yanez’s spouse was the one one house on the time the hearth broke out. Their 4 kids — all 5 years previous or youthful — have been visiting their grandmother.

Preliminary reviews point out the hearth was sparked within the laundry room earlier than igniting the house’s electrical field.

Virtually instantly after information of the hearth started to unfold, the neighborhood started to reply with gives of assist, the chief stated.

Chiefs at different police departments, together with Edinburg and McAllen, reached out to see what they might do.

Native residents, too, started dropping off provides at Donna Metropolis Corridor.

“Oh man! It feels actual good,” Guerrero stated of the neighborhood’s generosity. “It signifies that they actually care about our law enforcement officials, our public servants.”

Donna Mayor Rick Morales was additionally moved by the tragedy. He personally donated $3,000 to Yanez and his household, serving to them buy a lot wanted clothes and different provides on the native Walmart.

“I’ve been blessed greater than I deserve,” Morales stated. “If I might help — particularly one in all my officers, one in all my residents right here in Donna, I’ll do it.”

The mayor has additionally helped pay for short-term housing for the Yanez household as they recuperate from the lack of what had been their first house.

The mayor is hoping the neighborhood might help even additional because the household seems to be to get again on its toes.

“This was our first house, we put plenty of time and some huge cash into it,” Yanez stated.

Chief Guerrero described how Yanez, who had labored his manner up by means of town during the last a number of years, had steadfastly been improving the house himself.

“He purchased a home … and slowly, he was shopping for materials. Each time he received a paycheck, he would construct a wall, he would purchase a lightweight fixture,” Guerrero stated.

The chief added that Yanez displayed that very same drive and willpower in his journey towards changing into a police officer by means of one of many chief’s initiatives.

Initially, Yanez labored for town’s public works division.

“He was a laborer. And from there, I picked him up as a jailer. And from there, I despatched him to the academy and he turned a police officer,” Guerrero defined.

“I requested Chief Guerrero for a chance to maneuver up into the jail division. After that, he had informed me that at any time when there’s a spot … he’s gonna give me an opportunity to get sponsored for the coverage academy,” Yanez stated.

When that chance lastly arose, he jumped on the likelihood.

“I put my half and all the things — primarily for my household to develop collectively. They gave me the chance and, pos, I took it and it’s been serving to out rather a lot,” Yanez stated.

Yanez was grateful to town then for the employment alternatives, and is grateful now to Donna residents for his or her outpouring of assist for his household.

“We’ve simply seen everybody serving to us out and it’s simply such a blessing,” Yanez stated.

Residents wishing to assist could drop off donations at Donna Metropolis Corridor or by contributing to the household’s GoFundMe at https://www.gofundme.com/f/donna-pd-officer-family-lose-home-to-fire.

[email protected]